Podcast: MD of the CDSB on her predictions for COP26 and what investors should look out for July 2, 2021 As the annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) draws closer, Indy sat down with Mardi McBrien, the Managing Director of the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB), to hear her predictions for the conference, the considerations companies need to make to reach ‘net zero’, and how CAs can help save the planet. Listen now on Spotify, [...]
Accounting watchdog opens probe into Greensill auditor June 28, 2021 The UK’s accounting regulator has opened an investigation into the auditor of collapsed supply chain finance firm Greensill. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) today said it had launched a probe into Saffery Champness for its audit of Greensill’s financial statements in 2019. It will also scrutinise PwC over its 2019 audit of Wyelands Bank, which [...]
Directors, beware: Corporate governance overhauls could end with personal liability June 28, 2021 Corporate governance in the UK is about to undergo its biggest transformation in a generation. Next month, the Government consultation into the powers held by the new Audit Regulation and Governance Authority (ARGA), closes. Some of the proposals are seismic, driven by corporate scandals, and could mean directors of public companies, large AIM-listed and large [...]
Accounting watchdog pushes for KPMG to be fined £15m over Silentnight sale June 21, 2021 Accounting watchdog pushes for KPMG to be fined £15m over Silentnight sale
Big Four lobbying may dilute Government’s audit reform, says ex-accounting watchdog June 14, 2021 Big Four lobbying will dilute Government's audit reform, says ex-accounting watchdog
Internal audit and its role in corporate governance June 11, 2021 Internal audit plays a key part in the corporate governance environment. Alan Simpson CA considers its role. The board of directors is ultimately responsible for the organisation’s effective governance. Corporate governance is the collective name given to the various policies, rules, practices and processes established by authority of the board to govern the organisation effectively, [...]
Audit reform – Two minds are better than one June 2, 2021 The UK might not have won Eurovision 2021, indeed it suffered the humiliation of scoring nil points, but it has certainly led the current race on audit and wider corporate governance reform. The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) issued its consultation ‘Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance’ in March with a [...]
EY to centralise power in Europe in break from typical Big Four model June 1, 2021 EY will centralise power in a new European executive team, in a move that breaks away from the typical model employed by Big Four firms. The European executive team will pool resources from across the region, the Financial Times first reported. Big Four firms typically operate a federal model, with profits and resources largely kept [...]
‘Risky’ FTSE firms could be shunned by worried auditors fearing backlash May 29, 2021 There are worries that the crushing weight of public criticism combined with record-breaking fines could see perceived ‘risky’ FTSE companies shunned by auditors. Following large-scale collapses like Carillion and Patisserie Valerie, the audit sector has faced harsh criticism, having come under both the media and government’s spotlight for failing to do their jobs properly. According [...]
Audit watchdog admits it was not up to the job amid major company collapse May 27, 2021 The boss of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has admitted the audit regulator was asleep at the wheel following large scale business collapses that shook confidence in the sector. Sir Jon Thompson, chief executive of the FRC, said he agreed with criticism of the regulator following the collapse of Carillion and Patisserie Valerie. Speaking to [...]